[Tango-L] Better? Worse? Just different

[Anton Stanley]

I suggest that tango is imbedded in culture. Any comparatively sudden or
dramatic changes are not evolutionary. The only thing that does survive is
the name. I also believe that many use the term "modern" music and style,
instead of "new" music and style. Modernising music and style in my opinion,
is what took place in tango between say the 1930s to 1950s. To me,
modernising means refining, not changing. Thereafter in my opinion, tango
music became heavily influenced by other globally immerging music styles and
ceased to be a dance music and association to its predecessor became
increasingly stretched. But the name survived. Fortunately this phenomenon
didn't happen to the Turkey Trot or Cakewalk, as eloquently stated in a
previous post. Mention those names and everyone gets a clear image of what
we're talking about. Not so with tango. Simply, the desire of people to
dance them died, not the dances themselves. They still hibernate. The option
of changing the music and the dance but keeping the name wasn't deployed.
However tango has not reached the point of losing a large core of advocates.
It is still healthily supported in milongas around the world in its
traditional form. Where is the imperative to change it, except amongst those
who aren't satisfied by the classical form. That's where the driving force
for change emanates. They want something quite different from that of the
traditional advocates, but confuse the issue by an unwillingness to tag the
"modern" music and style with their own generic label. 
I like the "new" style of music and dance. But to me it's not tango. No more
than say the "Kizomba" (which I happen to particularly like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_d6FZYl4Qk&feature=related). And it
certainly doesn't coexist happily at milongas. Fundamentally I think it's a
clash of cultures. Same as I prefer a nicely matured red as opposed to an
alcopop. Sorry! It sprang to mind and I couldn't resist. I don't really mean
it.


Anton

-----Original Message-----
From: tango-l-bounces at mit.edu [mailto:tango-l-bounces at mit.edu] On Behalf Of
rhink2 at netscape.net
Sent: Thursday, 14 April 2011 2:42 PM
To: tango-l at mit.edu
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] Better? Worse? Just different

Well,  this recurring theme has been resurrected yet again.
Some of the postings remind me of the e-mails that circulate about the 
good old days when there were no internet, no cellphones, and no seat 
belts.
The fact that A. tango is danced to modern music in a modern style is 
healthy.  It shows, among other things, that tango is adapting and 
evolving.  If it did not evolve and adapt, it would die going the way 
of the Turkey Trot and the Cakewalk.
There is nothing wrong with honoring tango's past but not at the 
expense of destroying its future.

Bob
San Francisco


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